Domain Authority (DA)
What is Domain Authority?
Domain Authority (DA) is a metric created by Moz that predicts how likely a website is to rank in search results, on a scale from 1 to 100. It is calculated by a machine-learning model that uses link data, such as the number and quality of linking root domains. It is a third-party score and is not used by Google.
Like other link-based scores, DA is logarithmic and relative. It is easier to grow from 20 to 30 than from 70 to 80, and scores can shift when Moz updates its model or link index. Moz also has a page-level counterpart, Page Authority. Because tools use different link indexes and formulas, DA is not directly comparable with Ahrefs’ Domain Rating.
Why Domain Authority matters for SEO
DA is widely quoted, especially in outreach and when people sell links, so it helps to know what it is and is not. It is useful for comparing your site with competitors using the same tool. It is not a measure of quality, relevance or trust from Google’s side.
Google’s representatives have said many times that Google has no “domain authority” score of the kind tools publish. Chasing a higher DA by acquiring low-quality links misses the point and can put you on the wrong side of link scheme rules.
How to use Domain Authority
- Compare DA only between sites measured with the same tool.
- Treat DA as a rough filter for link prospects, then check relevance and real traffic.
- Ignore offers that sell links by DA. A high score with no real audience is a common sign of a link network.
Domain Authority FAQ
Does Google use Domain Authority?
No. DA is Moz’s metric. Google has said it does not use a site-wide authority score like DA or DR.
How do I increase my Domain Authority?
Earn links from more relevant, trusted websites. DA rises as a side effect of the same work that helps rankings, so focus on that rather than the score itself.
Related SEO terms
Domain Rating (DR) is Ahrefs’ 0–100 score of the strength of a website’s backlink profile. It is a third-party metric, not used by Google.
URL Rating (UR) is Ahrefs’ 0–100 score of the strength of one page’s backlink profile, including internal and external links.
PageRank is Google’s original algorithm for scoring pages by the number and quality of links pointing to them. Google still uses a version of it.
A link profile is the full set of backlinks pointing to a site: who links, how many, with what anchors and attributes, and how it changes over time.
Private blog network (PBN)Black hat
A private blog network (PBN) is a group of sites, often on expired domains, built only to link to a money site and boost its rankings.